Often it isn't the food we consume which is stopping us from losing weight, it's the sauce we put on the food. Today we'll be looking at probably the guiltiest condiment culprits... ketchup!
I enjoy tomato ketchup, I put it on almost everything. So this particular one is very personal for me.
Tomatoes are nutritious, correct?
Ketchup is mainly made using tomatoes. So you might think that it's not too bad for you. All of us know that it's also packed with sugar, but tomatoes are wholesome vegetables, right? So at the very least you are going to be getting the nutrients from those...
Unfortunately not when they've been boiled to within an inch of their lives!
Ketchup is basically produced from incredibly over cooked tomatoes which have shed all their nutritional value, some water and tons of sugar.
The sugar that's added to ketchup is worth a closer inspection. Because, although this starts out as sugar (which is already bad) before it goes into the ketchup it is processed into high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) which is a lot more damaging for your health!
As well as this, it's crammed with flavourings, like MSG, which make us want to use more.
So , ketchup is not a good idea if you want to eat healthy. It's only healthy ingredient has been stripped of any value it once had and all of the other ingredients have been linked to a great number of medical issues, for instance...
High Fructose Corn Syrup is linked to
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Cancer
.. and contains absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever. All it does is make stuff sweet, so people eat more.
Is MSG really bad for you?
When you do a quick search on MSG, there are a lot of articles saying that it has a poor reputation but it isn't really that bad for your health. Then you will stumble upon this little insight from Michael Galitzer...
“It’s probably one of the most harmful substances that one can eat.”
I honestly think that there might be a bit of a conspiracy here, seeking to avoid most people from finding the reality about MSG. So that we carry on eating products which are full of it.
MSG can lead to 'Leaky Gut' which sounds disgusting and is linked to...
- Bloatedness
- Gas
- Diarrhea
- Stomach pain
I have got to admit, on quite a few occasions I've had all of those, specifically after indulging in a yummy takeaway.
Healthy Tomato Ketchup options
So, let's get back to ketchup. We adore it. We would like to keep eating it. But we don't really want 'Leaky Gut'.
The healthiest substitute for shop purchased ketchup is to make your own.
In case you fancy giving that a try, then watch this video from "Cooking With Plants"
In case you simply don't have time for that, there are a couple of ketchups which are a much healthier option.
Way back in 2010 ConAgra eliminated the HFCS from their tomato ketchup (Hunt's Ketchup) but unfortunately they put it back a couple of years later. Why? My guess, I think that they were seeking to cash-in on peoples growing knowledge of the dangers of HFCS and expecting that their healthier option would earn them a higher share of the ketchup market.
I don't for 1 minute feel that they did it out of genuine concern for our health.
Obviously, it didn't do the job, because they put it back in again. But folks are constantly getting more health mindful, so maybe they might give it an additional go when they decide the general public will pay for it. It's certainly worth picking up a bottle and checking the ingredients every now and then.
One more option, but not really a tasty one, is to switch out your reglular ketchup with tomato puree. In recipes this works perfectly, but as a condiment it's a bit strong. Tomato puree isn't as sweet and has an extremely strong flavor. But play with it, add some sweetener and see what you come up with. I'm pretty sure that whatever you do will be a lot healthier than any kind of branded ketchup!
Just don't boil all of the nutrition away, load it with HFCS and lace it with 'gut-leaking' MSG! Aside of that, experiment... possibly even adding a little bit of (deadly) sugar will still produce a healthier ketchup than the one you're using now.
Tomato puree (mixed with a sweetener) will be a good alternative to making your own ketchup because it lasts a lot longer than fresh tomatoes, takes up much less room in your fridge and its simple to rustle up in a couple of seconds as needed. Try it, and let me know how it goes.